Dispensing container



Oct. 17, 1944. P. s. BIXLER DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed April 15, 1943 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 17, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING CONTAINER Paul S. Bixler, Westminster, Md.

Application April 15, 1943, Serial No. 483,205

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a dispensing container designed primarily for holding medicinal tablets and the like, one of the objects being to provide a container of this character having means whereby the held articles can be released one at a time.

Heretofore tablets have generall been contained in a box having a lid to be removed or shifted. This has exposed all of the contents of the box to the action of dust and moisture and, furthermore, the box at times has been accidentally emptied of its contents.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container the top and bottom portions of which are fastened together after the container has been filled so that they cannot be separated by ordinary means, thereby preventing spilling of the contents and undesirabl exposure thereof.

A further object is to provide a box the top and bottom members of which cooperate to provide an outlet opening so proportioned that the contained tablets or other articles cannot fall therethrough but will become tightly wedged therein one at a time in a position where they can be easily grasped and pulled out by the exertion of slight force.

A still further object is to provide a box the top and bottom members of which cooperate to hold a movable closure in place and also cooperate to provide a keeper for the free end of the box, the said keeper serving to grip the closure and hold it against accidental opening.

A still further object is to provide improved means whereby the closure can be pivotally connected to the members of the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds. the invention consists of certain novel' details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container, the closure being shown by broken lines in open Position.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section showing a modified form of pivot for th closure.

Figure 5 is a similar View showing another modified form of pivot.

' Figure 6 is a section through the corner portion of a modified structure.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, l designates the bottom member of the container which can be in the form of a shallow tray the side walls of which are cut away at one point to provide an outlet opening 2. The other member of the container can be similar in construction to the bottom member and has been indicated at 3. This other or top member likewise has an opening 4 in the wall thereof and when the two members are telescoped one upon the other, the openings 2 and A will register to provide the outlet of the receptacle.

The closure for the outlet includes a small plate 5 so proportioned that, when in closed position, it will completely shut the outlet provided by the registering openings 2 and 4. This plate is pivotally mounted between the lapping walls of the lower and upper members I and 3 at a point close to the outlet and it can be joined to the container in one of two or three ways. For example one of the walls of the container can be formed with an aperture 6 and one end portion of the closure 5 can be held in place by means of a rivet I secured in the closure and also in the aperture 6. The closure has a node or projection 8 extending therefrom serving as a finger piece by which the closure can be shifted into or out of closing position. When it is in closed position the free end thereof will wedge between the lapping walls of the members I and 3 at that side of the outlet remote from the aperture 6. In other Words these walls will constitute a clamp for binding on the closure when swung into position between the walls and into position between the walls so as to close the outlet,

Instead of using a rivet, a node 9 can be pressed out of one end portion of the closure l0 and is located and proportioned so as to fit in the opening 6 where it will be held by pressure against the closure of the wall of the outer or upper member 3. Another modification would be to provide an opening II in the closure and to have a node E2 on the wall of the bottom member I or on the wall of the top member 3' adapted to project into the'opening II and to constitute a pivot therefor.

In every case the closure will be held firmly in place and can swing properly into and out of closing position and in every case the free end of the closure will become wedged between the walls of the upper and lower members so as to be fastened properly in closed position. It is to be understood of course that the outlet can be located at any point desired in the wall of the box or container and while it has been shown at the center of one end, obviously it could be located at a corner, as shown for example at I3.

The means employed for fastening the upper and lower members together can vary, it merely being essential that these members be permanently joined as by means of solder, interfitting ribs and grooves, or the like. The method of joining the upper and lower members constitutes no part of the present invention.

Assuming that the container is full of tablets to be dispensed, and it is desired to remove one of the tablets, the closure 5 is swung to open position and the container located with its outlet lowermost. One of the tablets thus will gravitate to the opening but as the tablet is of a diameter slightly greater than the width of the opening, it will not fall therethrough but will merely project therefrom a distance almost equal to one-half its diameter. The user then grasps this projecting portion and pulls it outwardly. Thereafter the closure is pressed back into shut position, its free end moving between the lapping walls at one side of the opening so as to be clamped thereby and thus held against accidental opening.

What is claimed is:

1. A container including a bottom portion and a top having lapping walls, there being openings in portions of the lapping walls cooperating to provide an outlet within the walls, and a closure pivotally mounted at one end between those portions of the lapping Walls at one side of the outlet and being located and proportioned to move into position between and be frictionally engaged by those portions of the lapping walls at the other side of the outlet, thereby to close the outlet.

2. A container including telescopically connected top and bottom members having walls with lapping portions, there being registering openings in said lapping portions cooperating to provide an outlet, a closure pivotally mounted between the lapping portions of the walls and joined to one of the walls at a point located at one sideof the outlet, those lapping portions of the walls at the opposite side of the outlet constituting means for clamping a portion of the closure when pressed into closed position therebetween.

PAUL S. BIXLER. 

